Our incomes are like our shoes; if too small, they gall and pinch us; but if too large, they cause us to stumble and to trip.

It is of great use to the sailor to know the length of his line, though he cannot with it fathom all the depths of the ocean.

An excellent man, like precious metal, is in every way invariable; a villain, like the beams of a balance, is always varying, upwards and downwards.

It is delightful to transport one's self into the spirit of the past, to see how a wise man has thought before us.

Beauty is a manifestation of secret natural laws, which otherwise would have been hidden from us forever.

How often do I lull my seething blood to rest, for you have never seen anything so unsteady, so uncertain, as this heart.